2022 MLB Mock Draft: Third Edition

Here is the third edition of my 2022 MLB Mock Draft.

1. Baltimore Orioles- Druw Jones, Outfielder, Wesleyan HS (GA): Jones is easily the best player in this draft class and the Orioles would be happy to add him to their collection of young talent. Jones has the ability and upside to be an All-Star caliber player in the big leagues, like his father Andruw was.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks- Jackson Holliday, Shortstop, Stillwater HS (OK): The Diamondbacks go with who is arguably the second best player in this draft in Holliday. He may not be a fast developer in the minors, but they will likely get a star here with Holliday.

3. Texas Rangers- Brooks Lee, Shortstop/Third Baseman, Cal Poly: The Rangers take a fast rising prospect here in Lee, who I can see being picked here. Lee could have been the top overall pick due to his improvement the past few seasons in college.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates- Cam Collier, Third Baseman, Chipola (JUCO): The Pirates are rumored for college bats mainly, but a high school bat can't be ruled out completely. Collier is one of the drafts more intriguing players as he is still seventeen years old and showed upside in the Cape Cod League.

5. Washington Nationals- Elijah Green, Outfielder, IMG Academy (FLA): The Nationals are a team in this draft that simply has to go with the best player available. Green has a ton of upside, but questions about his hit tool can cause him to slip in this draft.

6. Miami Marlins- Jacob Berry, Outfielder/Third Baseman, LSU: The Marlins take Berry here to add to their solid collection of young bats. Berry's bat can play anywhere, but the question is what position he will end up at long term.

7. Chicago Cubs- Zach Neto, Shortstop, Campbell: Campbell this high would be a reach for Cubs, who I think should take the best player available. Despite playing for a mid major school, Neto really proved some doubters wrong with a strong showing for Team USA last summer.

8. Minnesota Twins- Temarr Johnson, Second Baseman, Mays HS (GA): Johnson falling here to Minnesota could be an absolute steal. Johnson is the best pure hitter in this draft class and the sole reason why he likely won't go first overall is due to his suspect defense.

9. Kansas City Royals- Kevin Parada, Catcher, Georgia Tech: I feel very strongly about college catchers and Parada falling this far would be a steal for the Royals. Parada's defense is not as strong as the likes of Adley Rutchmann or Buster Posey due to his fringy arm which hurts his throwing accuracy.

10. Colorado Rockies- Daniel Susac, Catcher, Arizona: I love this possible pick for the Rockies as they get themselves a solid catching prospect. Susac has a better possibility of sticking behind the plate long term than Kevin Parada and also has an outstanding bat.

11. New York Mets- Gavin Cross, Outfielder, Virginia Tech: With their first of two picks, I have the Mets taking the talented outfielder. Cross really showed out with Team USA last summer and there's a possibility Cross goes before this.

12. Detroit Tigers- Brandon Barriera, LHP, American Heritage HS (FL): Taking Barriera this high would be a reach for the Tigers, but it's an upside play. Barriera is more polished than most prep arms in the class with his three above average pitches and has great mechanics.

13. Los Angeles Angels- Kumar Rocker, RHP, Try City (Frontier League): After failing to sign with the Mets last summer, Rocker is back in this summer's draft. The Angels are a great fit for him as it fills a need for them and he would instantly become their top pitching prospect.

14. New York Mets- Jace Jung, Second Baseman, Texas Tech: Jung will gather a ton of attention on draft night because of how successful his brother was in college. He hit the tear off the ball a majority of this past season in college and he can absolutely go in the top ten.

15. San Diego Padres- Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS (GA): This would be a steal for the Padres as Lesko falls to them at 15.  Lesko is coming off Tommy John Surgery and he also has a Vanderbilt commitment so there is no guarantee that he will actually sign.

16. Cleveland Guardians- Cole Young, Shortstop, North Allegheny HS (PA): The Guardians are getting themselves a solid player here with Young, who can definitely go higher than this on draft night. He's a great defensive player and has an advanced hitting skill set.

17. Philadelphia Phillies- Brock Porter, RHP, Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS (MI): Porter falling all the way down here would be a steal for the Phillies. Porter has tremendous upside and would fit nicely in the Phils system.

18. Cincinnati Reds- Jett Williams, Shortstop, Rockwall-Heath HS (TX): Williams falling this far would be a steal for the Reds. Williams has great speed and bat to ball skills, which may have him get drafted higher.

19. Oakland Athletics- Robby Snelling, LHP, McQueen HS (NV): This would be a very interesting pick for the Athletics, who usually don't take high school pitchers. Snelling is the best lefty in this class and has great command with his pitches as well as has multiple great pitches.

20. Atlanta Braves- Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama: This could be a possible steal for the Braves as Prielipp is someone who was in play for the number one overall pick before he got Tommy John Surgery. Prielipp has the best breaking pitch in the class and has a great fastball as well.

21. Seattle Mariners- Justin Crawford, Outfielder, Bishop Gorman HS (NV): This would be a steal for the Mariners if Crawford were to fall this far. Crawford could in theory picked in the top ten and scouts in the industry have been raving about his potential.

22. St. Louis Cardinals- Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State: This would be a solid pick for the Cardinals, who usually do well at drafting college pitchers. Hjerpe was one of the best in the Pac-12 this past season and could be a middle of rotation guy with a solid strikeout rate.

23. Toronto Blue Jays- Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga: The Blue Jays are a team that needs some reinforcements in their farm system with some of their recent trades. Hughes has two outstanding pitchers with his slider and fastball, but he slumped down the stretched which made his numbers not look shiny.

24. Boston Red Sox- Jordan Beck, Outfielder, Tennessee: The Red Sox seem like their looking at college bats this time around. Beck has some raw power, but like most raw power hitters, has holes in his swing.

25. New York Yankees- Sterlin Thompson, Outfielder/Second Baseman, Florida: A hot rumor as the draft approaches is that the Yankees are looking at college bats and outfielders in particular. Thompson is one of the more accomplished hitters in this draft class and perhaps one of the safest bets as well.

26. Chicago White Sox- Tucker Toman, Third Baseman, Hammond HS (SC): The White Sox have a super thin farm system so they should go with the best player available. Toman is not super athletic, but could also slide at left field and has a strong arm as well as a solid bat.

27. Milwaukee Brewers- Drew Gilbert, Outfielder, Tennessee: This would be a very nice selection for the Brewers, who could use some college hitters in their system. Gilbert is a safe bet to remain in center field long term and he really put it together offensively this past season in college.

28. Houston Astros- Dylan Beavers, Outfielder, California: The Astros land themselves a major steal here with Beavers. He's a very tall outfielder and has a ton of power and has a great hit tool, although there are flaws in his swing.

29. Tampa Bay Rays- Eric Brown, Shortstop, East Carolina: Brown is a prospect that is a fast riser come the draft on Sunday. Brown is a player the Rays would really like with his positional versatility and athleticism.

30. San Francisco Giants- Peyton Graham, Shortstop, Oklahoma: Graham is another fast rising shortstop as the draft approaches. Graham really put on a show in the College World Series and is someone who is a super streaky player.